Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has bellowed. She has unilaterally ordered that President Trump be banned from the ballot in the Pine Tree State. There was no due process — no trial. There was no court order. She just responded to a citizen request.
Before addressing her decision, it is pertinent to know who she is. Based on her resume, Bellows is on the radical fringe of the Democratic Party – both as a political activist and public official. At 48 years old, she is also an obviously ambitious politician who has served several terms in the Maine State Senate and now as Secretary of State. However, she is not a lawyer or constitutional scholar.
I suspect that Bellows fully understands that her decision is not founded in law or the Constitution – and will be overturned. Trump will appear on the Maine ballot. There is no way the Supreme Court can allow state courts or one highly partisan unhinged public official to interpret the Constitution, personally determine an insurrection and potentially decide the outcome of a presidential election by unilaterally nullifying the votes of millions of Americans.
There are no sufficient words to describe Bellows’ action. Outrageous? Arrogance? Hubris? Authoritarian? Abuse of power? (Add your own here.)
The obvious motivation for her decision is … political grandstanding. This obscure politician in a relatively insignificant state – politically speaking – has managed to get herself on every major national news cast and on the front page of most newspapers. She has broken out of political anonymity to be the darling of the national progressive establishment.
Methinks I hear the sounds of a gubernatorial or senatorial campaign revving up. Sounds like the sap will be running in the Pine Tree State.
So, there ‘tis.